Not a Card..Not a Book...Must be a Collage!

I have another fun project to share with you this week for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge.  This week we are challenging you to join us with a project that is Anything But a Card.   Doesn't that sound wide open and FUN?  I have to thank my new team mate Sarah Engels-Greer for the inspiration of using a book cover as a foundation for building a collage.  I am always on the lookout for possible canvases for my collages (remember the giant Goldfish box from a few weeks back?).  I was totally intrigued when I saw Sarah's lovely art that she frequently builds on book covers.  When we were presented with the Anything But a Card challenge, I started casting around for ideas and decided to make a sweep on our one and only antique/junk shop here in the south Miami area.  I was delighted to get this very cool book for $3.  It was published in the early 1950's and is about the sea with lots of vintage style maps and pictures of sailing ships.  I think I will be able to make lots of fun art out of many of its pages.  I had planned to completely cover it entirely, but it was so wonderfully worn and frayed in places that I couldn't bear to cover it up.  Hence, you have my entire collage on the naked book cover.  

Enough rambling about the book cover.  You probably wanted to find out about my project, right?  I'm still in a spring - renewal - Easter mode so that is the theme of this piece.  A few weeks back, French Kissed had a lovely vintage chick image as a freebie.  I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to do something with it - it became the starting point of this piece.  I printed it on my home printer on tissue paper and ink distressed it with Vintage Photo.  Then I created a vintage post card with a couple of Tim Holtz stamp sets - Mini Classics and Mini Holidays.  I made the chipboard letters bright gold and sparkly because I wanted the NEW to be very prominent.  With the bottle cap I added Life and cozied up a gold Cross next to it.  I wanted to convey a new life in Christ.  Continuing on, I created a branch of one of my favorite springtime flowers - forsythia.  I used crinoline again to create the forsythia buds and leaves and glued them to a small branch from the oak tree in my front yard.  Moving on down, notice the sweet vintage eggshell that the chick has left behind?  It's a real one.  I cracked an egg, washed out the shell and dried it with my heat gun.  Then I went to work with the Claudine Hellmuth Multi Medium Matte and that vintage shopping bag that I upcycled for my last blog piece.  Using small squares that I cut with my pinking sheers, I covered the outside of the egg shell.  I shot my homemade Vintage Photo glimmer mist inside the shell.  Directly to the right, you will see a crinoline piece that I made in the style of Tim Holtz's rosette.  I recently saw one made of crinoline on Tammy Tutterow's blog.  I sprayed with with my Vintage Photo glimmer mist and topped it off with a yellow crinoline/tulle flower.  All my crinoline flowers for this piece were made with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  Last but not least, I used a Journaling Ticket and typed this quote buy Maria Robinson "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

I'm anxious to see that you all think of this piece.  I had such fun making it, but don't know if it is any good in the mixed media field.  If you have any feedback for me, let it fly.  Constructive criticism helps us make better art.  

Now to the important stuff.  Be sure to stop on over at Simon Says Stamp and Show to see the amazing art my team mates make.  This week, it's no different - incredible projects from everyone!  And don't forget, our ever generous sponsor, Simon Says Stamp, will be giving a $50 shopping spree to the lucky winner of their random draw this week.  That should be reason enough to make anything but a card and have some fun with us!

Thanks ever so much for stopping by today and for whatever comment you care to leave on this project.